Greebo howled and repeatedly flung himself against the door of the room Mia had locked him in. The hellcat knew she was doing something she shouldn't be. He knew she was placing herself in danger.

Down in her robotics lab, Mia eyed the pages of the book in her hand. There were several more similar books stacked nearby, obtained either from the bookstores or the shelves of the Atheneum. She finally found a form of magic she felt she had a shot with. Something she could fully comprehend and work with.

Technomancy.

She hadn't shown any inclination toward magic before. Her mother and aunt believed her incapable of it. But that brief moment in the bookstore when she accidentally set her bookmark on fire. It made her feel more alive than she'd ever felt before.

She glanced up as she listened to the sounds of Greebo's howling, then lowered her head to continue drawing the circle of runes on the pad of her arc reactor. She felt bad about locking Greebo in a room upstairs, but she knew he would stop her. It was his job to keep her safe at all costs. But sometimes one had to do something not safe to get what they wanted.

The circle was completed with a final swipe of the chalk. She did a final comparison between the book and what she had drawn. Satisfied, she set the book on a nearby chair, tilting it so it would face her as she stepped into the circle.

The book gave very explicit instructions. No shoes. Surrounded by as much technology as possible. Access to large amounts of power. Mia glanced around her lab. She had access to ridiculous levels of tech, thanks to her mother's willingness to not only send her to an advanced robotic engineering school, but also a hefty spending budget in exchange for helping maintain Bobby's coding and upgrade needs. As for the power? The arc reactor itself would serve nicely.

Carefully she stepped into the circle, making sure she didn't smear any of her work. Her toes wiggled against the cool surface as she leaned to look at the book one final time. With a satisfied nod, she straightened and focused on that feeling she had when she accidentally set her bookmark on fire.

The words were slowly recited as she focused on that sensation. Her eyes were closed, so she didn't see the circle she had drawn starting to glow.

Halfway through the recitation her massive computer server sent out a number of sparks. The lights started to flicker. None of it registered within her mind. She was fully immersed in the spell she was weaving.

As she completed the incantation the circle erupted with blue light bright enough she could see it behind her eyelids. She didn't dare open her eyes for fear of being blinded. She could hear sparks flying all around her. But the biggest one was from the arc reactor itself. It powered up on its own and attached its cables to her back, surging power into her.

Mia threw back her head and let out a blood curdling scream and then collapsed in a heap.

Upstairs, the door that had been holding Greebo in suddenly exploded with flames.

Kitty stared at her daughter. At least, she was fairly certain it was her daughter standing in front of her. The drastic changes to Mia's appearance were difficult for Kitty to wrap her brain around.

Mia shuffled her feet and looked down at the floor. She had been dreading this moment. She knew her mother wouldn't approve of what she had done. Trae nearly had a stroke when she saw her the first time. However, Traeline understood how difficult it was to find one's own path when coming from such a well known family.

Kitty sighed and looked at the hat in her hands. She was still wearing the pirate captain's attire from her recent voyage. She had been home only minutes when she saw her daughter. The large cavalier's hat with its equally large feathers was set aside on her desk. She then slowly took off the stolen jacket and draped it over her chair.

"So what did you do?" Kitty didn't raise her voice. She didn't even sound upset. She wanted to know all the details before she made any judgments.

"I....I found technomancy." Mia's voice was so small. She could feel her fear constricting her throat until she was afraid she wouldn't be able to even breathe.

"I see." Kitty slowly lowered herself into her chair and looked at her daughter thoughtfully, "So magic that mixes with technology?"

"Yes." Mia nodded and bit her lip.

"And are you happy with what you've done?" Kitty arched an eyebrow. Mia started to respond, but she seemed unsure how. It was then Kitty realized just how harsh her question sounded. She shook her head at herself as much as her daughter, "Let me rephrase that. Does this change of yours make you happy' Do you feel this will benefit you in the long run as well as short term?"

Immediately Mia nodded and looked hopeful, "Yes! I....I feel so much more alive now. I'm not as afraid to go outside. I feel like I'm finally in control of something instead of relying on Greebo or a machine I've built."

Kitty leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms as she watched her daughter. She saw the way her face lit up. And there did seem to be a renewed sense of confidence about her. It was then Kitty realized her baby girl was now a young woman. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.

"Has anyone been helping you?" Kitty hoped the answer was yes, but she knew in her gut what the real answer was.

"No. I don't know anyone who really could." Mia looked down again. She knew what she was getting into was dangerous, but it wasn't like Rhydin had many technomancers.

Kitty twisted her lips to the side. Obviously she wasn't happy about this, but she had to concede with Mia's point. Technomancy aside, Kitty couldn't think of very many mages she felt were trustworthy enough to teach her daughter and also had the ability to properly handle how bullheaded the young woman could be. Tossing in the added complication of it being based around technology just made matters worse.

"Alright. Just....be careful. If you feel something is a bit more complicated or dangerous in any way, you have Chryrie or myself help you. Hells, I'll even beg Tass to help if I need to. But I don't want you getting in over your head." Kitty rubbed one of her temples. She couldn't believe she was allowing this. But what could she do'

"Yes, Mom. I promise." Mia nodded as she started to risk a smile.

"Good. Now get over here and give your tired mother a hug. I've missed you." She extended her clawed hands toward her daughter and beckoned her closer.

Mia all but leapt into her mother's arms.